Faculty

Click on the faculty picture below to see a detailed description.

Rudrani Farbman Brown

Jackie Prete

Marjorie Nass

Susan Kotcher

Danielle Lee

Jana Castellano

Julia Pearring

Yael BenReuven

Andrea Savolt

Jorge Sevillano

Elizabeth Gonzalez

Christine Zehner

Evelyn Pate

Evelyn Deluca

Karen Gastiaburo

Lisa Barelli

Rudrani Farbman Brown

Rudrani began her study of Yoga in 1966 and founded the World Yoga Center in 1972 with a vision of spreading the greatness and luminosity of Yoga in the West. Originally certified as an Integral Yoga teacher in the late 60's, she served on the Integral Yoga Institute's National Board and as a staff lecturer, counselor and Hatha Yoga instructor. In 1974 she began a joyous life-long study of meditation and the path of Yoga having met a great master of meditation, and became one of his teachers running a meditation center in NYC and leading programs and meditation workshops throughout the U.S. Traveling as a speaker/teacher for many years, she lived for three years with him in India engaged in spiritual practices and the study of Yoga scriptures and philosophy.

On the west coast during the eighties, Rudrani was a resident meditation and yoga teacher in Santa Monica and Oakland serving SYDA fulltime. She was also on faculty at the JFK Graduate School of Consciousness Studies and the California Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and gave Yoga programs throughout the Bay Area.

Rudrani directs the World Yoga Center, teaching hatha yoga, meditation, Satsang and co-leading the Anusara Immersions Teacher Trainings and retreats. She has been a teacher of meditation, philosophy and transformational practices for over four decades. Rudrani is trained in several styles of Hatha yoga, and is an Anusara Inspired yoga teacher. A charismatic teacher, her hatha classes are woven with teachings, love and humor and are known for their clear instruction, and spiritual depth. An innovative counselor, Rudrani has maintained a private counseling practice since 1986.

Jackie Prete

Jackie’s passion for teaching yoga has brought her on a magical journey that started in 1990 with Sharon Gannon of Jivamukti. She left the world of musical theater and embarked on a new path to discover the inner realms of her own heart. She trained in Vinyasa yoga with the White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara and Cyndi Lee at Om Yoga Center teaching at Equinox and World Gym in the early 90’s. After a serious lower back injury she began a very deep study of Iyengar yoga with Genny Kapular and Mary Dunn.

Jackie met John Friend in 1998 and became a Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher in 2001. She is honored to serve as Chairperson of the Certification Committee for the new Anusara School of Hatha Yoga. Jackie was invited to teach in Japan by Yasushi Tanaka in 2005 and has returned annually ever since to train teachers and students in Anusara yoga and Therapeutics.

Jackie is the owner of Ram Sangha Retreats and leads retreats in Mexico, Costa Rica, upstate New York and Italy. This community is dedicated to practicing yoga and meditation in the beauty of nature deepening the student’s connection to their own true Nature.

In 2004 Jackie began collaborating with Rudrani Farbman, Director of the World Yoga Center, teaching Immersions, Retreats and Teacher Training programs. This deep connection has flourished and continues to mentor and train highly skilled yoga and meditation teachers who are connected to the essence of yoga.

Jackie currently sees 200 students every week in her NYC classes at the World Yoga Center, Pure Yoga and Equinox Fitness clubs. She has also led Advanced Teacher Training programs in therapeutics at Pure Yoga in NYC.

Marjorie Nass

As a health and wellness guide, Marjorie teaches you how to live better in your body. In her yoga classes, you’ll practice a revitalizing blend of alignment precise poses and breath awareness, and will walk away feeling as though you’ve had a full mind body tune-up. Through her one on one wellness programs and retreats, Marjorie also incorporates yoga’s mind body science, Ayurveda, to help students sleep and eat better, and reduce stress. Learn more at Marjorienass.com.

Susan Kotcher

Susan likes to tell fellow yogis that she was born and raised at the World Yoga Center. In truth, she has been a grateful student of Rudrani and the World Yoga Center since the late 1990s and a teacher since 2001. Susan comes to yoga through the gateway of meditation, having practiced in the Tibetan Buddhist and Zen traditions for many years. Susan is known for her clear articulation of poses. Her classes balance the inner work of meditation and contemplation with play, sweat, and a healthy dose of alignment. Off the mat, Susan is a non-profit fundraiser and finds New York the perfect place to cultivate an open heart and steady mind.

Elizabeth Gonzalez

Elizabeth was first drawn to Yoga for the physical benefits of the practice; soon after she was introduced to the practices of chanting, pranayama, meditation and the study of scriptures. During her first 200 hour yoga training in 2010, She was inspired by her teachers to develop her own daily meditation and yoga practices. This marked the beginning of an incredible journey into the inner world. After learning and practicing different yoga styles, Elizabeth took her first Anusara Yoga class while in vacation in Guayaquil-Ecuador. She fell in love with Anusara yoga’s life affirming philosophy and the universal principles of alignment that brought a level of complexity and depth that she had never experienced before. Back in New York, she was on the hunt for Anusara Yoga Studios and she stepped into the World yoga center without knowing that one day this beautiful place would become like her second home. Elizabeth completed her 200 Anusara Yoga training on 2013 at the WYC and she is thrilled to join the faculty.

Her classes integrate the spiritual and philosophical teachings of Tantra along with the precise alignment principles of Anusara and the flowing and energizing aspects of Vinyasa. Creating an intimate connection between the movement and the breath, students are encouraged to allow the physical postures to be an expression of the heart, while bringing the practice of yoga to the here and now.

With great humility and gratitude she bows down to the light and wisdom of all the teachers she has ever encountered throughout her path as well as the wonderful students she has the honor of teaching on a regular basis.

Danielle Lee

Danielle Lee offers a holistic approach to wellness and artful living, which weaves together disciplines of yoga, meditation, nutrition and health supportive cooking. Her yoga teaching integrates the insights of various traditions into a vital practice that cultivates strength, grace and awareness. Her classes draw on the heartfelt spirit and precise alignment principles of Anusara, the creativity of Vinyasa, and the quiet power of Yin and Restoratives to help students experience the stillness in movement and the flow in stillness. Also a private chef specializing in the detoxifying and healing aspects of food, Danielle regularly leads seasonal cleanse and attunement workshops and retreats. Her endeavor is to help her students recognize their life gift and savor the journey. Danielle is grateful to all of her teachers and students who continue to inspire her. Visit http://dlmoveablefeast.com/ to learn more about Danielle’s offerings.

Jana Castellano

Jana was introduced to Rudrani through a mutual friend and became irresistibly drawn towards the practices of Yoga within the World Yoga Center student community. In May 2008, she completed WYC’s two year Teacher Training course and continues to study and grow in the practice and teachings of Yoga and meditation. She is currently E-RYT200, RYT500 certified with Yoga Alliance and is an Anusara Inspired Yoga Teacher.

Jana is continuously filled with profound gratitude for the blessings that she has received since she found the path of Yoga, especially since she began teaching. When she is not at the WYC teaching the Early Bird classes or the Lunchtime Gentle class, she teaches chair/gentle yoga for Seniors on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and also teaches yoga to less able populations, especially mentally challenged adults, through Activities for Life. At WYC, her classes are light-hearted yoga adventures, providing a step by step exploration of yoga’s power to transform through refining awareness of the body, thus discovering true self empowerment within. She encourages her students to dive deep in every class and discover yoga from the inside out. Her loving compassion welcomes students of all levels, especially those brand new to Yoga, and invites everyone to dance in the Light of their own Heart!

Julia Pearring

Julia is appreciated as a teacher who brings the Yoga teachings alive by applying their wisdom to understand the modern challenges of living each day fully. No matter where the student is coming from, through her clear, poignant language and her extensive knowledge of the physical body students are supported, engaged and led to explore their potential in her classes. This ability to make yoga accessible has led her to teach various populations including adolescents, seniors, athletes and those with severe physical challenges. Julia has studied Anusara Yoga for over 9 years and has also completed over 400 hours of anatomy studies with the country's top anatomists, integrating the profound revelations that are on the forefront of holistic research into her teaching. She teaches at World Yoga Center, Cornell-Weill hospital, local NYC gyms, she leads seasonal retreats and is happy to be launching her anatomy courses this year.www.JuliaPearring.com

Yael BenReuven

“Say Yes!” is a life motto for Yael. She hopes to inspire her students to be thoughtful, bring a sense of openness and possibility into their lives and live their dreams. She brings this attitude of "Say Yes" into her own yoga practice and in her teaching which includes experience of other cultures, a sense of wonder at the variety of people in the world and a sense of play. Yael focuses rapt attention on her students and takes time with alignment details, anatomy awareness and application of therapeutics. As she conveys the philosophy and principles of yoga, Yael encourages her students to bring all this richness into their daily lives.

Yael thanks her teachers from different disciplines. She is grateful for having been deeply challenged to expand beyond her own limits and encouraged to explore new horizons.

Andrea Savolt

When Andrea took her first yoga class, her teacher had asked her before class; "what do you expect from practicing yoga?" Andrea’s immediate reply, "everything!" The teacher responded, “Then you shall get everything.” Throughout her years of asana practice and meditation, that response holds true. Andrea has gained more from her practice than she ever thought possible, in fact so much that she just had to share this beautiful transformational gift with everyone by becoming a teacher herself. Her teaching and personal practice soared with the introduction of Anusara Yoga. She fell in love with the intelligence of the mechanics drawn from the universal principles and found liberation in the tantric philosophy of Anusara yoga.

After moving to the city and attending her first class at the World Yoga Center with Jackie Prete, Andrea knew that she found her peaceful oasis in the swirl of Manhattan only two blocks away from her new home in the big city.

Andrea’s class is always a cosmic playground. She leads the class with the highest awareness to serve all, offering precise practical detail and a playful invitation to the inner depths of our being. Riding the waves of breath she provides the vehicle toward the highest experience of each pose. Beside the practical details and alignment, her classes emphasize the true gift of the practice, to be free and to unite with our higher Self.

Andrea is an Inspired Anusara teacher and has studied with a wide variety of Anusara Teachers; Zhenja La Rosa, Elena Brower, Ross Rayburn, Jordan and Martin Kirk, John Friend and is wholeheartedly grateful for all of her beloved teachers, especially Jackie Prete for her sweet welcome and continuous support.

It is a deep honor for her to be a part of the World Yoga Center’s community and share her passion for yoga with her students and fellow teachers.

Jorge Sevillano

Jorge attended a meditation course in 1996 that would change his life forever. It was after this program that he fell in love with Yoga and immersed himself in all the practices that Yoga has to offer. He especially loved Hatha Yoga and became a teacher in 2001. He has studied many modalities including Iyengar, Ashtanga, Ananda and AnusaraYoga. In 2003 he decided to study Anusara Yoga exclusively because he experienced a deep connection to the heart through this method. He then followed a course of comprehensive training with Anusara Yoga''s senior teachers.

Jorge weaves the spiritual and philosophical teachings of Non-Dual Tantra into the movements of the body in every class. Each class is unique and a new opportunity to connect to a much deeper and effervescent experience of Self. What drives his practice is a willingness to constantly refine the connection to the Heart. When you come to his classes, be willing to be playfully challenged, become more fully present in your body and to make a connection to your own Heart as well.

Christine Zehner

Christine is delighted to join the WYC faculty where she received her teacher training. She first stepped onto the yoga mat almost ten years ago and was immediately inspired by the principles of Anusara yoga. An accomplished yogini, with a sweetness to her teaching, she loves to share the abundant possibilities every pose has to offer while maintaining strong clarity of alignment. Integrating this with years spent in the art world, she brings an esthetic of creativity to each class. Meditation is incorporated into the hatha practice so students can discover the hidden depth of each pose. Rooted in the strong lineage of her beloved teachers, especially Rudrani Farbman, Christine playfully, joyfully comes together with students to connect with an ever growing, fuller sense of presence again and again.

Evelyn Pate

Native New Yorker, journeyer, sister, friend and big believer in being kind to everyone, Evelyn started practicing yoga in 2000 and began her teaching journey in 2011. Diagnosed with Epilepsy at age 17, it became clear that her yoga practice was contributing to being seizure-free for extended periods Her practice also brought with it wisdom, empowerment and glimpses of a greater freedom. The expansion of those developmental years of practice brought her to The World Yoga Center where she has found her home and community. She continues her journey now both as student of the path and as teacher for others.

A lifelong athlete and participant of various sports and hobbies, Evelyn sees yoga as a companion to all of life’s pursuits. Teaching a variety of students in different venues, including children and those with therapeutic needs, Evelyn’s classes provide a platform to explore playfulness, freedom and the peace and stillness we all crave.

With a full heart, she bows to: Rudrani Farbman, for sharing her light and smile, reminding us to look “above the timberline,” Jackie Prete, for aligning our body and hearts with the divine song and to all her students, those who continue to serve as her teachers. Thank you.

Evelyn Deluca

Evelyn completed her 200 hour teacher training at the WYC in 2008 with Rudrani and Jackie. In addition to teaching, as a single mother of twins, Evelyn has navigated many of life's difficulties and has found that engaging in these fully and consciously has been a powerful way to deepen her journey on the path of yoga.

First drawn to yoga for its alignment principles after studying dance, Evelyn became a student of Anusara because of its transformative power.

Evelyn’s class takes a gentle approach, using breath and alignment, inviting her students to access their own grace-filled energies. Her classes generate the spaciousness needed to meet life challenges with steadfastness and steadiness.

Karen Gastiaburo

When Karen was a young actor, a teacher told her: “To be all you can be as an actor depends on how well you know yourself.” This began a journey of self-inquiry that would lead her into the world of yoga.

Her practice started in 2001 in New York City, and her mentors have included Jackie Prete, Rudrani Farbman, Jamie Lyn Skolnick, Sianna Sherman, Desiree Rumbaugh, Ross Rayburn, and Dr. Ray Long.

Karen has traveled to Peru, India, Italy, Costa Rica, and Spain to practice yoga and relishes any chance to practice in faraway places.

She completed her 200-hour teacher training at the WYC in 2012–13 and has continued her graduate studies in higher consciousness, meditation, asana, and mentoring. Her classes are designed to incorporate alignment, contemplation, and deep reflection.

Karen teaches yoga to after-school children in a project called Seed Street Inc. through the Children’s Aid Society and is inspired to see children transform through this practice.

A certified Anusara, restorative, and meditation teacher, Karen wholeheartedly continues on her path of self-inquiry.

Her favorite quotation: On this path effort never goes to waste, and there is no failure. Even a little effort towards spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest fear.—Bhagavad Gita

Lisa Barelli

Lisa went to yoga classes for years before finding her practice, when she started taking Anusara-inspired classes in 2004 and discovered Anusara’s focus on healthy alignment and its truly uplifting philosophy. She continued her studies at the World Yoga Center, immersing in the physical practice and beginning a meditation practice. She completed WYC’s Anusara Immersions I-III in 2009, and its Teacher Training in 2010, and began teaching on occassion at WYC and around her home in Astoria, Queens. She is registered with the Yoga Alliance at the 200HR level and continues to study and practice with WYC Director and longtime meditation teacher Rudrani Farbman Brown and senior Certified Anusara Teacher Jackie Prete, including therapeutic applications of yoga. She has studied prenatal yoga with Jennifer Pettit and maintains an interest in yoga philosophy.

The true guru of her heart remains her family: husband Jason who frees her time away from home so she can serve and study at WYC, and her toddler, Cady, a being who embodies the infinite bliss in all our hearts. Lisa is delighted to at last officially join the faculty at her yoga home. She endeavors to create a nurturing environment in all her classes, both in the precision of her alignment instructions and the care with which she addresses her students’ inner experience. Teaching allows her to actively and regularly honor the light of Awareness that lives in all of us, and for this, she expresses deep gratitude, for all her teachers, students and mentors alike.

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The World Yoga Center
265 West 72nd Street
New York, NY
(212) 787-4908